Without a Trace
by StephanieZorander
Summary: Max wakes up to find that Fang is missing, and she's desperate to get him back. Yet the flock claims Fang never existed. With no one to trust, can Max even believe in herself?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.

**

* * *

**

The flock and I were sitting in the trees, relaxed for once. Well, I still wasn't so relaxed, but everyone else was. As far as we knew, no one was after us. We were safe. Amazingly, we could actually sit and talk, and watch the sky grow darker as the sun set.

"Wouldn't that be cool if we could fly to the moon?" Gazzy said, gazing at the now starry sky. "That would be so sweet."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything. I didn't want to ruin it for him.

"Yeah, if we didn't have to breathe," Nudge said excitedly. "We could like, go out into space and stuff. Hey, I wonder how high we can go flying. We've never really tried before, have we?"

We hadn't, mainly because it got colder the higher we went. We usually flew to a comfortable altitude and stayed there.

"Well, eventually we would get to the point where there wouldn't be enough oxygen, even for us," Nudge continued. "But still, we've never tried."

"We should, sometime," Iggy said. "Just to see."

I decided not to point out how dangerous that would be. Especially if we fainted or something from lack of oxygen. In midair. That would be really, really bad.

I sighed. I should have been happy. But I just felt tired. We were headed toward my mom's house, and though I couldn't wait to see her and Ella again, I just didn't really want to go into 'happy Max' mode.

The flock kept up their easy talk, but eventually I cut them off. "It's late guys," I told them. "Let's go to sleep."

Everyone leaned in so we could do our hand stacking and tapping ritual, and then we found a comfortable position to sleep in on our branches. In several minutes, most of the flock was asleep.

"Max?"

"Yeah Fang?" I breathed quietly, my heart speeding up slightly. I saw his dark shape move towards me. To my surprise, he leaped off of his branch and landed gracefully on mine.

Show off.

"Fang!" I kept my voice low. "Get off, you idiot, before the branch breaks."

Fang gave a small grin, letting both his legs hang on the same side of the branch. I sat up and mimicked his position so we could sit close to each other.

"This branch could probably take the weight of the whole flock," he told me, a light in his eyes. You have no idea how it felt, seeing Fang loosen up. It was like he was opening up and letting me see him as he really was. He wasn't hiding behind his unemotional mask as he usually did.

"Better safe than sorry," I said softly, turning away.

"Max."

Fang's voice was so gentle, I looked back at him, into his endless eyes. I didn't want to move or say anything. I didn't want to break the spell. It was like one of those cheesy romance flicks, where the couple stares into each other's eyes, like they were once blind and suddenly they could now see...

He leaned forward, and I automatically closed my eyes. I felt his lips brush against mine, his warm breath on my cheek...

"Max and Fang, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S--"

My eyes snapped open, and I pulled away to give Angel a furious and embarassed glare. Thank God she had been chanting quietly, at least, so the rest of the flock was still asleep. I flicked a glance toward Fang. His face had become unreadable again, though I saw a spark of some emotion I couldn't identify.

"Angel sweetie," I said in a carefully controlled voice. "Go back to sleep, _and stay that way_. Okay?"

"All right," she said with a smile. "I'll just give you two some privacy then..."

"It's okay, Ange," Fang said, giving her a dark look. "I was just saying good night."

I watched Fang return to his branch. Angel, after giving me another knowing smile, went back to sleep.

Soon all was quiet again.

Although we technically weren't keeping watch, I stayed up anyway. The night was filled with trees rustling from the wind and the sound of the flock's even breathing. I could almost feel the brush of Fang's lips against mine. It was actually pretty peaceful, and against my will I was starting to relax.

Until I heard a branch snap.

I sat up in a flash, immediately scanning the woods around us. Fang was lying in a branch across from mine, and I gently kicked him with my dirty sneaker. His eyes flew open, and he sat up, silently and alertly. He sent me a questioning look, but I kept my eyes trained on the woods. I tried to not think about Fang, and how close we had been to kissing...

_Focus_, I chided myself.

There it was again, the quiet sound of someone stepping on a stray branch. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Fang tense, so I knew he heard it too.

Together we carefully woke up the flock. I felt so proud of them when they awoke without a single sound, Nudge sleepily shaking her head to get herself completely awake.

"U and A," I mouthed at them, quietly grabbing our packs. Five heads nodded at me, and just as I thought the situation was under control, I felt something pierce the side of my neck. Instantly I felt drowsy, and my vision turned fuzzy.

_Crap_.

"Max!" Angel cried out, and something whizzed by, hitting Nudge. I desperately tried to say something, to do something, to _not _pass out, but I just caught a glimpse of Nudge going limp, and then I finally blacked out.

* * *

I woke up with a splitting headache. For a second I panicked, my mind strangely blank. Then I remembered being hit with that dart.

"Report!" I yelled, only slightly surprised to find that we were in the same woods, only it was about noon. And we were all lying on the ground. Strange, but whatever. The top priority was the flock.

"Max," Nudge groaned groggily, while Gazzy gave a little moan sitting up. Total made a noise akin to a whimper.

Nudge, Gazzy, and Total, check.

I looked to see Iggy struggle to sit up, and then I turned worriedly to Angel, who was stirring slightly.

"Angel, sweetie? Are you okay?" I asked her, and I felt a burst of relief when she opened her big blue eyes.

"My head hurts," she said drowsily. "But I'm okay."

Angel and Iggy, check.

I was missing someone wasn't I? _Fang_. For some reason my memory of him seemed hazy, but I shook off the feeling, looking for him. He wasn't in sight.

"Fang?" I called, hoping he'd come walking through the trees. No such luck. I tried calling louder. "Fang!"

Nothing.

_Okay, don't panic_, I told myself. _Keep it together._

I noticed the flock was staring at me. "What's wrong?" I snapped at them in anxiety.

They exchanged glances, looking worried. Iggy turned his head slightly, looking awkward.

"Max…" Gazzy started slowly, his blue eyes innocent. "Max, what are you looking for? Who's Fang?"

* * *

**Reviews are loved, of course. If you have any constructive criticism, please feel free to review or PM me. Same with if you have any questions. :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Than****ks to the people who subscribed to my story! No reviewers though... -is sad-**

* * *

I could only stare at them. What had happened during the time we were unconscious? Why were they acting like they didn't know Fang?

"I'm Total, not Fang," Total said unhelpfully. "Although I am a rather fierce creature."

"Since when have you been _fierce_?" I snorted. "And what do you mean, who's Fang? Fang is _part of the flock._ Not our talking mutt."

Everyone gave me a blank look, besides Total, who just looked offended.

I rubbed my forehead. My killer headache wasn't helping things; while it wasn't as bad as a brain attack, it still felt like one of Iggy's bombs had went off in my head. I felt kind of lightheaded and dizzy. Worry about Fang was making my head throb even worse.

I forced myself to stay calm. "Fang. Few inches taller than me. About fifteen by now. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark clothes. Doesn't any of this ring a bell?"

"Ooh, is he cute?" Nudge asked eagerly, while I shot her a glare. "He sounds like he might be hot or something."

"I guess that sounds a little familiar," Gazzy said frowning. "Maybe you're thinking of some guy you saw while we were eating dinner in that one city?"

"_No_," I said harshly. Seeing Gazzy's hurt face, I decided to try another approach. "Okay, what happened earlier? All I remember is being hit with some kind of tranquilizer."

Gazzy eagerly stepped in, relieved at the change of topic. "Yeah, you were hit first. And then Nudge and Total after you. Iggy, Angel, and I jumped out of the trees to fight the guys, but then Iggy got knocked out too. And that's all I remember. Although I think I got hit too, and then I remember waking up with my head hurting a little."

He had said nothing about Fang. "Did you see the shooters?"

Gazzy shook his head. "No, just the shape of the people. It was too dark."

"About how many?" I asked.

"Maybe six or seven," Gazzy said uncertainly.

"Probably one for each of us," I said. "And Angel, did you hear anything from them?"

"Only that they weren't supposed to hurt us, just bring us in. But I don't know for what," Angel said.

"This _has _to do with you guys not remembering Fang," I said to myself.

_Or maybe something happened to you, Max_, Angel said hesitantly in my head.

I ignored her for the moment. "Okay flock, pop quiz. How long did we live at the E-house?"

"About four years," Iggy answered promptly. "Two years with Jeb and two without. Why?"

"Angel was taken, yes?" I asked to make sure.

"Yeah, that's why we left." Iggy said. "Why are you asking?"

"I left you and Gazzy behind, right?"

"No, you didn't," Gazzy broke in.

"I'm your best friend, of course you didn't leave me behind." Iggy said, sounding hurt.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Iggy like a brother, but Fang was my best friend, always. And apparently I didn't leave Ig and Gaz behind? This was getting worse by the minute.

"I stopped to help Ella," I said in a hard voice, daring them to argue.

"Of _course _you did," Iggy said in an exasperated voice. "And we later found out Ella was your sister. My memory's not _that _bad."

I tried to think of something they'd have to remember Fang with. "What about when we split up, and then went to Germany to defeat Itex?"

"But Max, we never split up," Angel said anxiously. "We went to Europe together."

"How did we escape the Itex place in Germany? I'm guessing a bunch of kids led on by Fang's blog didn't jump in to recue us." I continued relentlessly.

Angel looked bewildered. "What? No, you got us out of there yourself. I got the mutants to fight everyone, and we helped them, and after you defeated Omega and Ari was killed you got us out of there…"

"How exactly?" I pressed.

Angel shook her head. "I don't know. I can't remember the details. But you found a way to get us out of there…"

"How?" I asked again, turning to the rest of the flock. "It wasn't that long ago. How did I get you guys out of there?"

"I don't know, you somehow did. You _always _get us out of things, okay?" Iggy said.

"Fang always takes over when I'm gone," I tried. I was sure the flock wasn't replaced by clones, but the way they couldn't remember anything about Fang was starting to scare me. Plus they looked like they were getting ready to drag me to the funny farm. It's never a good thing when your family starts to think you're insane.

"_I _always take over when you can't lead," Iggy said. "Look, I don't know what happened to you Max, but—"

"What happened to _me_?" I yelled a bit irrationally. "I know it's not your fault, but you guys can't even remember Fang! Iggy, he was your friend. Gazzy, he was like an older brother to you! He may have been quiet and like a brick wall at times, but he would still hold you when you were hurt, Angel. And he could wave a bar of chocolate in front of your face, Nudge, and presto, instant happiness. He was my right hand man. I don't know what was done to you guys, but you _have _to remember him."

I hated being a teenager sometimes. I know mood swings and such were supposed to be common, but really. I was practically in tears.

I took a calming breath, and looked at the flock. They were staring at me. On their faces was shock, worry, confusion…

"Max, does your head hurt a lot?" Iggy asked me gently.

I blinked. "Uh, _yeah_. But how did you know? And how do you guys feel?"

"I can hear the pain in your voice," Iggy told me. "And while my head hurt a bit waking up, I feel fine now."

The rest of the flock said that the same was with them.

"So it would make sense, wouldn't it, that whoever took us mainly did something to you?" Iggy asked carefully. "Since your head hurts so much?"

"So let's just say that for some crazy reason a bunch of scientists decided they wanted to invent someone, name him Fang, and stick him and _years _worth of memories of him in my brain. Yeah, that would explain why I don't feel so great right now. But why? And you guys had headaches too, right?" I didn't like the way they were looking me, like something bad had happened to me. They were the victims here, not me.

"Aftereffects of the drug," Iggy quickly said. "I don't know why, but Max, if there was another flock member, we would _know_. They couldn't just take away all six of our memories, and then just leave yours."

I didn't like the look on his face. "I'm going for a walk," I said shortly. "I won't be far, and I'll be back soon. Fang's in charge, or wait, I guess _Iggy _is."

I walked off angrily. I kept seeing that look of kindness and pity on Iggy's face, like there was something wrong with me.

I stopped when I couldn't hear the flock's voices anymore. I had heard them, while walking away, talking about me with worry.

_Voice? _I hated asking the Voice for help, but I had to know. _What's wrong with them? Who took us, and what did they do? Why can't they remember Fang?_

_Some scientists took you, but I don't know what they did, _the Voice answered immediately, to my surprise. _Itex isn't done, not yet, and I think those people are associated with Itex somehow._

_And Fang? _I held my breath, waiting.

The Voice almost sounded worried, or maybe that was my own panic and worry. _Max, I don't know any Fang. There _is _no such person like the Fang you described that I know of. There are five members of your flock, there have always been five members of your flock, and I don't know what has caused you to think otherwise._

I wanted to go drill the flock with more questions, but I had a feeling their answers were going to be the same. They didn't know a Fang, and they didn't remember one.

It felt like the Voice's answer had punched a hole through my chest.

I felt so frustrated. And angry. And a thousand other emotions. When it became too much for me to handle, I sank to the ground and cried. I hated the fact that I was being so weak, I hated the fact that some scientists had found some new way to torture me, and I hated the fact that I felt so alone without Fang...

* * *

**Some reviews, please? I would very much appreciate it. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Review replies!**

**PaRaMOrE--0394: Ooh, I forgot about the cave. It probably will get frustrating, but I'll try not to draw it out too long. Plus I'll throw in a couple twists. :) Thanks for reviewing!**

**jess-da-best: Thanks! I know what you mean about Jacob. He's pretty awesome in the movie. :D**

**paro4peace: I'm glad you think it's original, that's what I was going for. Thanks for the review! I thought New Moon was really good too. I had to ask about it because I had just watched the movie, and I liked the way they ended it. I knew it was coming, because I read the books, but it was funny watching people's reactions. :)**

**Annalina Prime: Thanks very much for the review!**

**By the way, this will hopefully be updated weekly. I've got chapter 4 typed and some of the major chapters typed already. I just have to do the small ones. It's so exciting. ;)**

* * *

"What's wrong with her?" Nudge asked Iggy, watching Max walk away from them in anger. "Why does she keep thinking she knows some guy named Fang?"

Iggy shook his head. "I don't know, Nudge, they must have done something to her."

"Iggy, she really believes she knows someone named Fang," Angel said anxiously, her face young and scared. "In her mind, he really does exist. She has memories of him. She _loves _him."

"But he's not real!" the Gasman cried. "We don't know anyone who looks like that."

"But Max truly thinks he's someone in the flock," Angel said. "I'm really worried, Ig."

"The scientist must have done something to her, like Iggy said," Nudge told Angel. "I mean, it's not like he can really exist. You said Max thinks that, but Max is wrong. She _has _to be. I don't think our memories could possibly have been erased…"

"No, of course not," Iggy said. "He's not real, we know that. Maybe that's what the scientists, whoever they were, wanted to do. They wanted us to be unsure of ourselves, to not trust each other."

Nobody wanted to voice out that they were losing trust in Max.

Total trotted over to Iggy. "Why would they do that, though? Create some emo person and make one of us believe he's real?"

Iggy sighed, looking stressed. Angel went over to him and curled up into his side. "I don't know, but we have to do something about it. We can't let Max go on thinking this 'Fang' is a real person…"

---

Finally I stopped crying, wishing Fang had been there with me. I didn't like to admit it, but Fang was almost a part of me. I needed him. Right now he could be undergoing horrible experiments, or he could be dying, and the flock wouldn't care. I was the only one who could help him.

_You can't help someone who's not real, Max._

I ignored the Voice. The fact that Fang was somehow erased from everyone's memory only made me more sure that I had to find him. Something was going on, and I had to find out what.

I marched back to the place where I left the flock. They looked up as soon as they heard me and fell silent.

"It's rude to talk about people behind their back." I told them, going over to our packs. I wasn't surprised to find that Fang's stuff was missing; whoever took him was unfortunately very thorough. I took out our snacks and threw them to the flock members. "Now eat something. We're heading to my mom's. You do remember that, right?"

"Yes, we do," Iggy said patiently. "It's a good thing, too. We need to talk to her about your, or our, problem."

"That's right," I said mildly. "_Your _problem. Just out of curiosity, who carries Akila when she comes with us? If Fang and you never took turns carrying her, that is."

"You and I took turns," Iggy said gently. "And Nudge would help with Total. Besides, you know how he can fly a little now."

I nodded. "And did we ever get that laptop?"

"The one we stole? Of course," Iggy said. "Look, Max—"

I cut him off. "No, it's okay, I'm done now."

"Max, listen to me," Iggy said. He came up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I could feel the whole flock watching us. "You're my best friend, okay? I know this is hard, but I'll always be here for you. Whatever happened, we'll fix it. We'll figure it out."

He really believed I was wrong. I stood there stiffly for a minute, feeling his hand on my shoulder. I fought the urge to shrug it off. "Thanks Iggy. You're right. We will fix this."

Iggy frowned, taking a step back. I pretended to ignore his disapproving face.

"Everyone ready? Let's go."

---

"I wonder how long we were out," I called out to the flock. We were now flying towards my mom's house. "Does anyone know?"

They seemed happy to participate in a topic unrelated to Fang.

"I think it was the 17th when we were knocked out," Iggy said.

How did the blind guy manage to keep track of the date? No idea.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was the 15th," Gazzy said. "I heard some people talking when we were having dinner."

"No, it was Friday the 17th, you nimrod," Iggy said stubbornly. "I am absolutely sure of it."

"No, it was Thursday, and I'm not a nimrod!"

"I don't think it was either of those days. We left Florida on a Monday, and it had been two days since. Do the math. It was Wednesday, okay?" Nudge said, tilting her tawny wings.

What can I say? We never had much use for keeping track of the date. The only date we're worried about is our expiration date. "We'll find a calendar in this town coming up, all right guys? Land behind that building there."

We landed just long enough to eat some lunch and find a calendar. We found that the 17th was not on a Friday, the 15th was not on a Thursday, and today was Monday, the 4th of April.

I sighed. "Well, that was completely useless. I'm pretty sure we were only unconscious for a few days at the very most."

"I still say it was a Friday," Iggy muttered under his breath.

"Come on, let's keep going," I told them.

* * *

**Yeah, so that was mostly a filler chapter. The next one's going to be fun though because there's a twist at the very end. Review, please?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm really sorry about the long wait--I've a bunch of excuses, but let's just move on to the story...**

**Replies:  
googlefish: So would I... On a happier note, thanks for reviewing!  
paro4peace: Actually nothing in it was really important. Nice try though. :) It was just showing how everyone's reacting and stuff. Thanks so much for the review!  
the7thflockmember: I know, writing an MR fanfic without Fang is starting to bum me out. It just doesn't feel right. Thanks for reviewing!  
MaxandFang101: Thanks for reviewing twice! Yeah, I know what movie you're talking about. (can't remember the name at the moment...) This _is _going to be just like that movie, although this is actually inspired by the Sword of Truth series. Hardly anyone has read it though.  
5253Racer: Thanks, I'm glad you like it!  
TiffanyDamodred: Awesome, three reviews! Thank you very much!**

* * *

A couple hours later we were all being hugged by my mom. It felt great to see her, but I quickly cut to the chase. Maximum Ride is not one to procrastinate. "Mom, do you know who Fang is?"

My heart sank as I watched confusion cross her face. "Who?"

"A nonexistent guy that Max is in love with," I heard Iggy say under his breath. I made a mental note to kick him as soon as my mom wasn't watching.

"Fang," I repeated, trying not to sound too desperate. "He's another bird-kid, like us."

She frowned. "No, I don't think I know him. Should I?"

"_Yes, _but--never mind," I said to my mom. "Is Ella here?"

She checked her watch. "No, it's only 3 o'clock. She'll be here in about twenty minutes."

"Okay, I'll wait. I need to talk to her."

"_Max_," Iggy said in a low voice, sounding irritated. "Be nice. They're your family, remember?"

Ever since Fang had disappeared, Iggy had been acting different. Iggy was now leveling me out, making sure I stayed calm and rational. He was less immature and obnoxious and more… I don't know. It was so weird.

"Fang's my family too," I said, stalking into the house.

"Doctor Martinez," Nudge whispered as I left. She seemed to forget the fact that we all have great hearing. "We need your help. Something's wrong with Max..."

---

As soon as Ella had come home, I had pounced on her. She didn't remember Fang.

Of course. Because _God forbid _the person who erased everyone's memory happened to forget _one person._

But they did forget one person. Or it didn't work on me. But the million dollar question was _why_? What did they want with Fang, and why was it so important that no one remember him?

I pushed that thought away. There were so many horrible possibilities. I felt my stomach tighten in anxiety.

"Max, are you okay?" Ella asked anxiously.

"I am _fine_," I said through gritted teeth. I didn't want to be mean to my sister, but everything was getting to me. My family couldn't remember Fang, and they were constantly talking behind my back like _I _was the one with the problem. If I could just find _one thing _to prove Fang existed. I needed them to believe me, to help me find him.

I blinked back hot tears, thinking about whether or not I should just leave the flock here and search for Fang, or proof of Fang. I didn't want to leave them though. One of the flock was already gone, and I didn't need to feel more isolated and alone. I couldn't bear to lose one more person in my family.

"Maybe it was a dream, and the people who took you did something to make you think—"

"Ella, _he was real_. Okay?" I said, resisting the urge to punch something in frustration. Why did everyone have to assume he wasn't real?

"Sorry," she said quickly, giving me a tentative smile before heading quickly to her room.

"Um, Max? Ella's gone now. You don't have to glare anymore," the Gasman said in a small voice.

Oh, no wonder Ella left in a hurry. Whoops. "I'm sorry," I told the flock, who was hanging in the living room. I was _so _close to losing it, but I strained to keep myself together. "I know it's not your fault, but Fang was real. Please, trust me."

Iggy took a deep breath. "I want to talk to you Max. I know how much you want him to be real, but you're the leader. Focus on saving the world, and focus on us. Not this Fang guy who doesn't exist."

I rounded on Iggy, wanting to hit him. Before I could answer, my mom came in. She gave me an anxious look, and I gritted my teeth again. I didn't need people worrying about _me_.

"Max, Jeb is here. He wants to talk to you," she told me. Now, I'm not stupid. Like Jeb _happened _to get here a couple hours after we did. He'd been hanging around, waiting for us, knowing we were coming here. Did I mention how annoying it was to have him around, trying to keep tabs on what the flock was doing? Because it was very annoying.

But I didn't complain. I needed to talk to Jeb.

I followed my mom to the door, the flock silently trailing behind me.

There he was, giving me a gentle look. "Max, how are you? Your mom, Dr. Martinez, told me the flock was worried about you. What's up?"

_What's up?_ Seriously?

"Jeb. You remember who Fang is." I made it a statement, not a question. If anyone knew something, it would be Jeb.

Jeb blinked. "Fang? Yes, of course, how could I forget him? Why?"

* * *

**This is a looks a lot shorter than it it did on Word. Oh well. Hopefully I'll have some extra updates anyway...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow... googlefish guessed what's going to happen. I know, I'm evil. Sorry googlefish, this has to take place for the story to move on.**

**By the way, since I keep forgetting to update, I decided to just make the chapters longer from now on. Is that okay with everyone?**

**Replies:  
XxcookiesxX, bookworminpeace, and Tiffany Damodred: Yep, you'll all see what happens with Jeb in this chapter. Sorry for leaving you hanging there. ;)  
MaxandFang101: I really am trying to update more, since I have a lot of the story written out, but I keep forgetting. Thanks for reviewing!  
wowyourstoryisgreat!: Thank you! I was trying to make this original. I'm very glad you like it!  
Shadowed Nightwings: Thanks!**

* * *

"He's _real_?" Iggy asked in disbelief. The flock stood there with their mouths hanging open. Mom and Ella looked shocked. "And an avian-human hybrid?"

Jeb looked confused. "Yes, of course he was. Max, why didn't you tell the others about—?"

"Where is he?!" I demanded, relief seeping into my voice. Finally, finally, someone who knew what I was talking about. Jeb, of all people, was there to help me. For once.

_Max, I did some research on your mystery flock member. It's not what you're thinking—_

Okay, weird interruption, but whatever. _Shut up, Voice._

Jeb, for some strange reason, looked even more confused. "Where is he? He's buried a couple miles from the School."

Silence. Stunned, shocked silence.

Did he just say _buried_?

"You—what did you just say?" I asked, my head spinning. While my headache had been slipping away, it now came back. My head throbbed painfully.

"Are you okay, Max? You know this, he died—"

"He _what_?!" I practically shrieked. What the _hell_.

Iggy seemed to be the only calm one. "Jeb, can you explain everything for us? Fang is dead?"

Jeb looked at Iggy. "So Max never told you guys about Fang? I can understand that, but why are bringing it up now?"

"Please, just tell us the story," Iggy said patiently.

"Yes, just tell us the story," I repeated in a strangled voice.

Jeb looked at me with an inquiring gaze. I waited.

"Let's sit down for this," he finally told everyone.

---

"Max was just five years old when she first met him. We had wanted to see how well she would socially react with others of her kind, so I had given my team permission to put Subject seven—Fang—in the same room as Max. Their cages were placed next to each other.

"At first, the two were hostile to each other. However, it didn't take them long to bond. Even at five years, the two were very intelligent. Max and Fang realized they were on the same side. They realized they were allies.

"Max and Fang started talking, just a little bit, to each other. Every time one of them was taken for a test, the other would wait for him—or her—to come back. The two developed hand signals to communicate with each other.

"Max and Fang began to watch each other's backs. A few times we had tests they took together. They learned to work with each other flawlessly.

"Max and Fang grew closer over the next few years. At eight years old, the two of them were quite a pair. They could coordinate without speaking, move together, and fight together.

"And then came the accident. I had told them not to do it. I wasn't there, and I was disobeyed. They had Fang and Max go through a test that should have been impossible for them to survive.

"Max survived. Fang didn't. He risked his life to save Max. It was the only way for her to survive, and he took the chance.

"Max, of course, was heartbroken. I was furious. Max almost died, and Fang was killed. It took a lot of effort on my part to make sure his body was buried, not taken to the lab. It was the least I could do.

"I let Max meet Iggy and Nudge. I knew if I gave Max others to care for, she would learn to focus her energy on them. She learned to take care of the rest of her flock, too.

"Fang was an amazing boy, but he's dead. I'm sorry."

---

There was a moment of stunned silence, then—

"That is complete _crap_," Max exploded, her face red. "You lying, traitorous, son of a—"

Iggy reached out with amazing accuracy to cover Angel's ears.

"You're such a liar! Fang was real, and _you know he was_. Your memory wasn't erased—you just proved that by making up a load of—"

"Max, that's enough," Dr. Martinez said quietly, her face pale.

Max stormed out of the room, her dark blonde hair flying out behind her. They heard the front door open and slam shut a second later.

Nudge was crying. "Fang was real? Be-before I met Max… he was her friend? And th-they _killed _him?"

Dr. Martinez put an arm around her shoulders. Jeb held his arms out to Angel, who was also sobbing, and after a moment of hesitation she ran over to him. He held her as she cried, just like old times.

Iggy's face was white. "The people who took us. They made Max believe he was still alive, didn't they? They made her think he survived, and he grew up with us."

Jeb nodded slowly, his face grim.

"That's _sick_," Gazzy said in horror. "Why would they do that? What's the point?"

"Jeb, you have to help her," Dr. Martinez said in a pleading voice. "You have to make her understand that he isn't real, that he really is dead. Max is so _stubborn_, but you have to tell her the truth. She has to know the truth, Jeb."

"I didn't realize how strongly she believed Fang was still alive," Jeb said. "It's only going to hurt her if this goes on. I will, Val. I'll find a way to let her see the truth."

"She is so stubborn though," Iggy said, frustrated. "All the way flying here she tried to come up with ways to convince us he was real. Every time, she just helped to prove that he really wasn't, but she refused to see that. She even tried to tell us he had some sort of blog, but when we searched for it, we couldn't find it. She was telling us that maybe we could find some kids that had heard of the blog—like we would just go walking through the streets, trying to find a person who has heard of something that doesn't even exist. If she could just _see _that it doesn't make sense for him to be real…"

Everyone stared at Iggy. He seemed to understand that everyone was watching him. "I'm sorry," he said miserably. "But I just want Max back, the Max that cared about us first and foremost."

"It's not her fault Iggy," Jeb said. He was rubbing Angel's back, and her small arms were wrapped around his neck. "We have to help her."

"I want her back too," the Gasman said, sounding like the young kid he was.

The younger kids nodded.

"There is one way to prove to her that I'm not making this up—I believe if she sees for herself that he died years ago... It will hurt her, but she must know the truth," Jeb said grimly.

---

I was sitting on a tree, mucho upset. I had needed so badly to get away, to cry my eyes out, to feel so totally miserable and freaked on my own.

Don't get me wrong, I've been through some tough times before. Remember that whole Director-is-my-mom thing? How screwed I was over that, only to find she really _wasn't _my mom? Before that, I trusted Jeb, and then I had felt he betrayed me. I thought he had been dead, and he wasn't. And remember when Jeb tried to tell us we had never really left the School?

So this isn't the first time my life has been turned upside down. But this time was different.

My one constant was the flock. No matter what, they were there. They always had been. They were my family.

So when nobody could remember Fang, it was an all time low. I couldn't yell at anyone, or hate anyone, because it had been the flock telling me he wasn't real.

So what _was _real? Just as easily I could wake up and have someone tell me there was no flock. Fang was almost a part of me. He was my closest friend, the one who understood me the most. I could still remember the times he kissed me and the times I ran away. I could remember the way we could talk with our eyes, share emotions in a glance. I remember how he would look at me, that light and openness in his face, that beautiful, rare grin he had. I could remember every moment he touched me, every time I laughed or cried while he was there with me. I remember our fights, our fear, the times we had to totally trust each other. Even when we split, he was alive, and that made it all better.

Fang was real, and alive.

He had to be.

* * *

**So, what are your thoughts? Do you want to kill me now? Or do you believe Jeb was lying? I will say one thing though, if you're starting to worry about Fang. This story is _far _from over. I've got some exciting stuff coming up. =D**

**Have a happy New Years everyone! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Somebody kick me, please. How long has it been? Seriously, so much for me promising to update weekly...**

**No replies today since I've got a ton of homework, and I think I should really just get the chapter up. A huge thank you to googlefish, lexigrrl09, bookworminpeace, and Tiffany Damodred. An extra special thanks goes to paro4peace who left me _two _very awesome reviews. :D**

**Disclaimer: And remember, I don't own anything!**

* * *

I don't want to talk about what I'm feeling right now, so we're just going to stick with the facts.

I came back into the house. Everyone tried to tell me they were sorry. I tried not to strangle any of them, or burst into tears of panic and frustration. Talk about conflicting feelings.

Jeb told me there was one way to prove whether or not he was telling the truth. There were five databases located in the U.S. that stored all of Itex's information. He was not allowed there, only the top people in the Itex association. It was there to hold every file, every piece of information that could be valuable. There were five, so if one was destroyed, there be plenty back up.

I asked why the _h _he hadn't told us this before—if we destroyed all their information, we destroyed Itex.

He told us he only had some amount of access to the building in Arizona that had one of the databases. He knew they had tons of security, and plenty of traps if one tried to destroy it.

Jeb said he could get us in the building, and then we'd have to find our way to the database ourselves, if this was so important to me. He himself wasn't trusted enough to get there, so it was the only safe place we could go to find any info on Fang and know he couldn't have possibly messed with it. Nudge, he said, could find the info once we reached the database.

I told him we would do it.

We were flying on a plane—it was across the state—to get there.

You have no idea how much hope and worry I was feeling right now. But like I said, I don't want to get into it.

---

Iggy was worried. What would Max do when they proved Fang wasn't alive? He hated that she had to go through all this, but she was making it worse. With a huge amount of obstinacy she clung to the notion that Fang was alive, and she refused to see otherwise. He wasn't alive, and how could she so truly believe that? Why couldn't she _see _that it made no sense for him to be alive?

But Max had always been stubborn. She had also been happy, once. Or almost happy. She wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine, but Iggy remembered her laugh, that teasing tone of her voice when she wanted to pick on him. He remembered hearing the smile in her voice as she talked to the younger kids, or the amusement she tried so hard to hide when she was scolding the kids. He knew her better than anyone in the flock. However cranky she might be at times, snapping at them or losing her temper, she cared about him.

Now she was obsessed with this Fang character. While Iggy wanted Fang to be alive, for Max's sake, things would be so much better when Max got over the fact he _wasn't _real.

"Iggy, _are you even listening to me?!_"

Iggy was started out of his thoughts by Max's voice. He tried to aim a contrite smile at her. Now would not be the time to irritate her, as fun as irritating Max was. "Sorry, what did I miss?"

"How much did you hear?" she asked impatiently.

"Uh, nothing?" Iggy said, wincing as he imagined the scowl Max was most likely sending him. She quickly and snappily retold their plan on getting to the information center. Boy, she was tense today. But then, she was always tense. And today they would find the truth.

"Iggy, you heard me, right?"

He did. Most of it, anyway. He was pretty sure he caught all the important parts. "Yeah Max, I've got it now. Relax, okay?"

Max muttered something under her breath, and Iggy knew she definitely would _not _relax. "Just stay close, Iggy."

"Fine," he said resentfully. He didn't hear the usual caring tone underlying in her voice as he usually did. Max was so _testy _now.

Five minutes later they were walking through the building. Jeb had led them in, and he was taking them to the elevator. Once they reached the elevator doors, they were on their own. Iggy knew the place must be huge and spacey by the way their footsteps echoed through the room. Iggy heard other people walking and talking, and he guessed the place had a good amount of people in it, but wasn't crowded.

The flock stopped, and Iggy followed suit.

"You're on your own now," Jeb said in a low voice. "Get in, get the information, and get out. And whatever happens, I'm here for you Max."

"You _better _be," Max snarled quietly. "That way I can kick your butt if you've been lying to me."

Typical Max, Iggy thought to himself. She might be totally upset and hurt, but she was pure anger on the outside.

Iggy heard Jeb leave them, and the elevator doors in front of them opened. The flock stepped inside, and they were followed in by one other person.

Iggy felt the elevator travel downward, which made him uneasy. He was made for the _sky_. Not for underground places. He knew the others must be hating the enclosed space too. In fact, he could hear the others shifting uneasily.

The elevator stopped, and Iggy felt hopeful, until the stranger with them left. Max stayed put.

"How far down are we going?" he asked her as the doors shut. He couldn't shake off the feeling that the walls, unseen, were closing in around him... ready to choke off his air...

"A couple more floors," Max snapped at him, and Iggy remembered she hated small spaces more than any of them. "A few more seconds aren't going to kill you, but I might, if you _don't shut up._"

Iggy couldn't help feeling stung, but he reminded himself that Max must be feeling seriously upset. She was _way _more scared about what they might find than he'd first thought. Iggy remembered what Angel said. Max didn't just care about Fang; she loved him.

Max sucked in a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry Iggy. I just—"

"You're really upset. Scared and hopeful and you're not sure what's going to happen. Plus this elevator is driving you insane. But we're here for you," Iggy said gently. He knew Max better than anyone in the flock. He understood her.

There was a moment of silence.

"She nodding and smiling a little," Nudge supplied helpfully.

_And she's really glad you understand how she feels, _Angel added in his mind.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened, resulting in a short struggle to get out that small space.

Iggy wondered what Max would be like when they finished their mission.

---

Everything went without a hitch until we actually got the info we came for. _Then _things started going screwy.

I grabbed the pages we printed and focused on the sounds from the hallway. It sounded like people were after us. In other words, disaster was ahead. But this wouldn't have been fun without a little mix of danger, right?

"We're outta here," I said quickly, sprinting to the door. The flock followed closely at my heels.

"I should have stayed at home," Total moaned. "Oh God, we're gonna get arrested."

"Shut up," I said, but the flow of adrenaline in my veins was a welcome feeling. Fang disappearing? I fall apart. Flock surrounded in hostile environment? Oh yeah, I can handle it.

I almost laughed when I saw the guards coming after us. They were people. Regular, nonmutant, weak humans. Then I saw the guns. But they wouldn't actually shoot us, would they? I mean, we were just innocent children, who happened to be breaking into a secure building and stealing top secret information... Oh crap, we really needed to get out of here. Quick.

I spotted a window. "All right guys. U and A, through the window!"

"Yes!" Gazzy said ecstatically.

I charged through the wimpy guards, mowing them all down.

"Stop, we command you!" one of them yelled at me. I snorted. Cheesy, much? I kicked him right between the legs, and he stopped looking so macho.

Five feet to the window. I jumped through first, not wanting the younger kids to break the glass.

_Crash!_

The glass shattered easily, and I held my arms in front of my face to shield myself from the broken glass. I turned around in midair to make sure the flock got out okay.

"Let's get out of here before someone calls the cops!" I shouted to them. Plus we were seriously exposed here. If someone looked up, they'd be seeing a bunch of winged kids. We really couldn't afford any more trouble.

We landed a good distance away, and then walked as casually as possible along the road towards where Jeb was parked. A few minutes later he came driving up in the rental.

"I'm guessing you had trouble escaping," he said wearily through the open window. I'm guessing he saw our smashing-through-the-glass escape.

I shrugged, pulling open the side door so the kids could climb in. "It wasn't so bad, really."

He didn't press the issue. "Let's get back to that plane."

* * *

**Maybe if I get a few reviews, I'll post again tomorrow. Just saying. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

The flock and Jeb were sitting on the plane, their tension almost tangible. Nudge, sitting next to Max, was silent for once. Total lay still in Angel's arms, and Angel stroked his dark fur distractedly. Iggy and Gazzy sat next to each other, but they weren't speaking.

"Well," Jeb said slowly, breaking the silence. "We got what we came for. Let's take a look."

Max pulled out the papers, her hands trembling. Max was the kind of girl who could take on a genetically strengthened bad guy without batting an eye, who could break a bone without getting fazed much, but holding those papers she looked near terrified. Those papers supposedly held the truth. What would they say?

Max began reading, Nudge looking over her shoulder.

_Subject 7 of the Avian-Human Hybrid Project_

_He is the third viable 'bird child' experiment..._

Max flipped the page, skipping the information on his wings and parents. So long ago they had wanted to find their parents, but now all they needed was Fang to be real.

_He has developed a close relationship with the avian-human Subject 6 (also known as 'Max'). He has taken the name 'Fang' for himself..._

Max skimmed through the notes, and what she found made her stomach drop.

_Subject 7 has been killed during an experiment with Subject 6. He sacrificed himself for her safety, showing a remarkable display of..._

Max crumpled up the papers in a quick, sharp movement.

Nudge gasped, eyes wide. "He really is dead," she whispered, horrified.

The flock was stunned, while Jeb just sighed. He looked at Max with only sadness in his eyes. The papers only confirmed what he had already known.

Max said nothing. She sent down the crumpled papers down, and then leaned back, looking out the window. She was silent, emotionless. Somehow, this was worse than when she blew up or when she was seriously pissed off.

"Max?" Gazzy said, unsure of what else to say.

"I'm fine," she said quietly, her eyes dark.

Jeb sent them all a look that said: _Just give her space._

The plane ride back was eerily silent, although the few passengers on with them chattered in the background. Max was the only one that mattered, and she was silently looking out the window, her face blank.

_She's really upset_, Angel told Iggy anxiously.

_I know_, he said back in his thoughts.

Eventually Nudge started a game of cards with Gazzy, but they were quiet. Nobody knew what to say or do.

The plane landed an hour later. The short car ride to Dr. Martinez's house was just as silent. Nudge chattered nervously about something, but nobody really listened to her. Nudge just felt the need to fill the silence.

"Max," Iggy finally said as they stood in front of the house. "Max, I know—"

"_Don't_," Max suddenly snapped, her voice trembling. "You have no idea what I'm feeling. I don't want to hear your apologies or your words, okay? _You don't know me._ And that won't make Fang—"

Her voice broke off into a horrible, heartbroken, sob.

"Max!" Gazzy said, alarmed. Jeb hesitated, wanting to say something, but obviously not wanting to make things worse. Nudge just stared with big brown eyes. Angel's face was the picture of sorrow, having read Max's mind.

"_Just leave me alone,_" Max choked out, tears running down her face. She ran toward the woods, wings out.

The younger kids were horrified. Max had never seemed so broken before, not even when she broke down over the chip in her arm. Before, Iggy had been able to talk to her, to comfort her. Now the only person she could take comfort from was the boy who was without a doubt dead.

* * *

Everyone waited in the living room nervously.

"You'd think she'd be hungry by now," Iggy said, trying to lighten the mood. He himself had eaten a third serving of dinner, even if he was worried.

"She's coming back, right?" Nudge blurted out. "I mean, I know she's really upset, but we're important enough for her to come back, aren't we?"

"Of course she'll come back," Jeb said, although it had been raining outside for an hour now. She still hadn't shown up. "I know Max. She'll get over it because she has to. She loves you all."

"Hard to tell lately," the Gasman muttered. "I mean, I know it sucks and all, but I just want Max to get it together, for us."

"Just be supportive when she comes back," Dr. Martinez said. "She had a horrible shock and it's going to take her a while to get over it. Don't forget that it's not her fault."

"I know," Gazzy said. "But I don't know if I can stand her moping around for the next few days—"

He broke off suddenly with a quick breath, and everyone knew he was just disturbed by Max's behavior. She was the leader. She was strong. She was unbreakable. She could withstand anything. But suddenly their illusion of her changed. She _wasn't _unbreakable. She was vulnerable like any one of them. That scared the younger kids.

The door banged open, and everyone jumped. They waited tensely, expecting an upset, brokenhearted Max.

That's not who they saw.

They saw Max. Brimming with determination, filled with confidence, and fire in her eyes. She was completely soaked, her dark blonde hair in dripping strands. The wet didn't seem to be quenching her spirits.

"Hey guys, did you leave any food for me? Because I _swear _if you ate it all—"

"Max!" Nudge cried happily running over to hug her. "Of course we left food for you! And we're really glad you're back because we were all waiting for you. You're really _wet_ too."

"Yeah," Max said, smiling. "I should probably do something about that. Maybe a hot shower, but I'm going to eat first."

Iggy followed Max into the kitchen, but motioned the others to stay behind. He leaned against the doorway. "You should probably get a towel. You're dripping all over the place. I can hear it _and _feel it," he said, tapping his bare foot on the wet floor.

Max turned towards him, a glass of water in one hand. "Why don't you ask me about what you _really_ want to know?"

"Fine," Iggy said. "What's with the sudden mood change?"

Max took a deep breath. Strong resolution in her voice, she said, "I decided not to give up."

She tilted her chin up, although Iggy couldn't see her, silently daring him to argue.

"I knew it," Iggy said with a small smile of resignation.

Max was startled. "I thought you'd be mad, and go all pyro on me or something."

Iggy snorted. "What, like I'd blow up the house or something? As fun as that would be, I'm not mad. You're Max. You don't give up. You're going to keep looking until you find the body, dead or alive, right?"

"Right," Max said, grabbing some leftovers from the fridge and placing them in the microwave. "The way I see it, Jeb's the only one who could verify that Fang died in the school. Who says the old man is being honest? Sure, we found evidence from some database. But what if that evidence isn't real? If someone is going to go through all the trouble of erasing a bunch of people's memories, what's to stop them from planting false information?"

Iggy grinned happily. "Oh, it's so good to have you back, Max."

An hour later they were all in the living room, again, Max in clean and dry clothes. She cleared her throat.

"I know you guys are wondering what's up with me," Max started. "I want you to know, I'm not giving up. I still believe that Fang is alive. Or if he died, it would have been recently. I know Fang. He grew up with us. He was my best friend, and maybe more. The feelings I have for him aren't something the scientists could make up. This isn't coming from a seven-year-old romance, either. I'm telling you that I _know _Fang is real because there is no way any scientist could come up with the stuff that I know about Fang. He's alive, and I'm going to find him."

The flock came to same conclusion as Iggy: If they had a choice between this Max and the upset Max who was out there in the rain, they would definitely choose this one.

"We'll help you," the Gasman said stoutly.

"We're right behind you, wherever you go," Nudge added.

Angel nodded, and Total gave his own nod of agreement.

Max looked surprise. "I thought all of you would be more upset. You can't all say you actually believe me, can you?"

"No," Iggy said. "I believe he died at the School. I don't think it makes sense for him to be alive. But that doesn't matter. As long as _you _still believe he's out there, we're going to help you. If Fang _is _real, he probably needs our help. As long as you have faith in him, we'll keep searching. And either way, the scientists are trying to manipulate us. This isn't going to tear us apart."

Max had tears in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. "Thanks, guys."

She held out her fist, and the flock stepped forward. They did their stacking-and-tapping thing, and Max looked happier than she had in a long time.

"Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow, we search for Fang," she told them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Two updates, since I keep forgetting. I'm sure you will all love this chapter... :)**

**Huge thanks to Tiffany Damodred, bookworminpeace, googlefish, 5253Racer. You guys rock!! Not that the rest of you don't, but I really do love reviews.**

---

A dark haired teen stirred slightly, beginning to wake up. He was strapped onto a cold metal table in the middle of a room full of scientific equipment. Three adults were in the room, all busy with various tasks. One of them took notice of the boy.

"Hurry. Get more of the—"

"No. Let him wake up," a man commanded the scientist. He was clearly in charge of the group. He dropped what he was working on and turned to watch the boy.

"But what if it doesn't—"

"The girl was only out for a few days, and she had a strong emotional attachment to him. Small wonder it didn't work on her," the man cut him off again. "Let him wake up."

The teenager opened his eyes after a few moments. They were amazing alert, sweeping around the room, and then focusing on the adults in front of him. He said nothing.

"Sally, get the boy some food. He must be hungry by now," the man softly said to the woman scientist. She nodded and left, setting down the clipboard and files she had been working on.

"How are you feeling, Nick?" the man asked the boy.

'Nick' said nothing.

The scientist went over to him, taking a needle with him. Nick flinched, the reaction almost imperceptible. "I need to take some blood, Nick. Just a little bit, to run a few tests."

The scientist had stumbled slightly over his name, and the man in charge had shot him a quick look.

Nick's eyes narrowed. _Liar_, he thought. _What's my real name?_

"Nick, we're so glad you're okay. We almost didn't think you'd make it," the man said smoothly, while the scientist drew some blood. "How much do you remember?"

Nick didn't remember anything, and that scared him, but he still said nothing.

The woman scientist, Sally, walked into the room.

"Here Nick, eat some food," she said, setting down his tray to undo his straps. "You'll probably feel a little weak, but that's normal. You had a nasty head injury, but hopefully any memory lapses you're experiencing aren't permanent. Once you regain your strength, we can maybe help you get back your memory."

_Or you'll feed me lies. _Nick sat up carefully, feeling a little shaky. Sally pulled away to pick up the tray again.

Nick snapped into action.

He quickly struck the woman in the back of the neck, and she easily crumpled. The two men scrambled to grab a tranquilizer, or maybe a gun, but Nick was soon on them. They were both down in less than a minute.

Nick ran.

As soon as he burst out of the room, an alarm sounded. The teen swore, running as fast as he could on his waning strength. There was yelling and the sounds of people running. Nick took a random turn, hoping to see doors that would lead outside.

Luck was with him. He rammed into a set of double doors that looked promising. They were locked, of course, but he had found enough strength to break one of them open.

Light almost blinding his eyes, he ran outside, to freedom.

-----

Nick was startled to find that he was running through a foot high cushion of snow. Where was he? Was it winter? He headed toward a driveway, uncovered in snow, leading out of the building grounds. He noticed a gate at the end of the drive, which could present a problem. He kept going anyway, figuring he could probably climb.

He cleared the last few feet of snow-covered ground, and then he leapt onto the cement, only to practically kill himself.

It was covered completely in ice. He couldn't run on ice. He slid all the way across the drive and then started running in the snow again. His feet and ankles soon ached with the cold, moisture seeping in through his ragged jeans. He began to hate snow.

Hatred of cold weather... that stirred a memory. Of someone he knew, someone who didn't like the cold...

Nick heard loud sounds of pursuit behind him. He focused on the fence, which was steadily drawing closer.

He remembered his wings.

How could he have forgotten? Flying was a part of him, deeper than his identity. _Way to go, idiot, _he thought to himself.

He spread his wings out, and he launched himself into the air. The shouting behind him increased, but he was almost over the fence.

And then a shot rang out into the air. Nick swore violently as the bullet pierced his left wing.

He began to fall, one wing flapping uselessly.

Finally his fatigue caught up to him, and he fell unconscious, still plummeting towards the ground.

---

"He heart beat has stabilized. He's breathing regularly now. He should wake up in a couple of minutes."

"He's one tough mutant, I'll give him that."

"At least he's alive, and he wasn't too far off the ground. Stevens would have had our heads if anything had happened to him. Why did you have to _shoot _him, for God's sake?"

"He was getting away—"

"And you think he would have gotten far? He may have been hooked up to a feeding tube, but that's not enough for a mutant like him, especially since it's been a week. He couldn't have flown for much longer. I really don't know why Stevens keeps you around."

"It's because I could kill you, right now, in twenty different ways, and don't you ever forget that."

"Just don't kill _him_. We need him."

"You do know he's awake, don't you? Listening to your little banter?"

Surprised, Nick opened his eyes. The man from earlier was watching him. The other two in the room—a man and woman, different from before—looked at the man, startled. They obviously hadn't known he was there.

"Yes, Stevens," the woman hastily said. She was dressed in a typical white scientist coat. The man she had been talking to was dressed in a dark, professional looking outfit. He was, presumably, the killer guy.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't realize he was awake," he said with respect, bowing his head slightly. Although he obviously wasn't in charge, Nick automatically categorized him as 'extremely dangerous'. He had a hard look in his face, like he was the kind of guy who would easily murder anyone who got in his way. The kind of guy who would kill for money.

Stevens stayed focused on Nick. "I really wish you hadn't tried to run away."

Nick glanced down at the restraints attached to his wrists, binding him to the metal table he was lying on.

"I really wish I had hit you harder when I had the chance," Nick said in a deceptively calm voice, with an even gaze at the man. He noted with satisfaction that a bruise was forming on the man's face.

Stevens smiled slightly. "Nick, I know you can't remember me, but we're friends. You'll see soon. You're here to become the best, the strongest, the toughest. It's what you've done your whole life."

"Oh?" Nick raised an eyebrow. He found it impossible to believe that they were once friends. Did they really think he was stupid enough to believe their crap?

"You are going to be the most dangerous weapon in the whole world. You had agreed to. Rest, and feel better. We'll try to help you get your memory back. And once you continue your training, you'll see what you're truly capable of."

"And what am I capable of?" Nick challenged quietly.

"Anything. You are capable of anything, Nick."


End file.
